World number 2 Naomi Osaka started crying during the news conference on Monday preparing to compete in her first tournament after an early exit at the Tokyo Olympics.
The news conference at the Cincinnati tournament began with Osaka responding to questions regarding mental health and doing press conferences, subjects that brought much attention after she withdrew from the French Open earlier this year.
The Japanese player was fined $15,000 for not talking to the media in Paris which was followed by her withdrawal stating her mental health as a reason for her decision.
After the mental health questions, Osaka was asked about her reaction regarding the devastating earthquakes that hit Haiti, the homeland of her father. Earlier this week, she said that she will donate all the prize money she wins in Cincinnati for Haiti’s relief efforts.
During those moments, Osaka wiped her face and covered it with the hat she was wearing. The reporter who asked that question quickly apologized as Osaka got emotional to which Osaka replied, “No, you’re super good.”
The conference host said that they will take a short break but Osaka quickly returned in front of the reporters.
Before this happened, Osaka got into a heated exchange with the Cincinnati Enquirer reporter Paul Daugherty, who said, “You’re not crazy about dealing with us, especially in this format. Yet you have a lot of outside interests that are served by having a media platform.”
Osaka’s agent called the reporter a bully.
The last tournament prior to the Olympics that saw Osaka competing was the French Open in May. Before the tournament, Osaka stated that she will not be doing press conferences citing her mental health.
All four major tournaments went put with statements threatening further punishing, including default from the tournament, which was followed by Osaka’s withdrawal saying she “suffered long bouts of depression” since winning her first major title in 2018.
